The South West leg to Stonehaugh is the longest leg at the North Star Ultra.  At 70km it is a tempting chunk of distance to tick off once completed.  Like the west leg to Newcastleton it starts along the Lakeside Way, but where the West leg turns off before Matthews Linn this. one to Stonehaugh tracks nearly all the way down to the dam.  You’ll get brief glimpses of the dam from the Waterside resort or Whickhope, but otherwise it is obscured from view by the trees.  At Elf Kirk you leave the reassuringly familiar path of the Lakeside Way and track out into the southern parts of Kielder Forest above Falstone.  Passing by the popular overnight viewing spot of Elf Kirk, you then weave a way along forest tracks for many miles before popping out on to the road just short of Stonehaugh.

At Stonehaugh we will have food and drink to get your spirits up once again.  Now you will know what lies ahead for the return journey as you face a repeat of all 35km getting back to Kielder.  Once you get back through the trees and pass out via the gateway that is Elf Kirk you know that the track is runnable all the way up the south side of the reservoir.

Route map for North Star (South West) Stonehaugh by Drew Swinburne on plotaroute.com